


As Long As I Have You

by butterflybaby91



Category: Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: Canon Era, F/M, Katherine and her father have a confrontation, Post show timeline
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-20
Updated: 2013-08-20
Packaged: 2017-12-24 02:20:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,122
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/934034
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/butterflybaby91/pseuds/butterflybaby91
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Katherine goes to her father's house for dinner and it does not go well.</p>
            </blockquote>





	As Long As I Have You

 

“Katherine, you cannot be serious.”

Katherine jerked her head up from where she had been pushing the food around on her plate, to stare at her father questioningly. She had somehow been coerced into coming to his house for a “family dinner” that had been terribly awkward so far—apparently turning against your father and helping his unionized employees to overturn his policies did not make for good dinner conversation.

But really, she had no idea what he was talking about at the moment, as she had not said anything for a good fifteen minutes—the last thing she had said was something about Jack that came out sounding rather haughty.

 _Oh,_ Katherine realized too late what the only subject her father could be referring to was, at the same moment that he boomed, “You cannot be seriously _involved_ with that _newsboy_! No daughter of mine will be marrying an orphan from the slums!”

Katherine winced, but squared her shoulders and shot a glare identical to the one crossing her father’s face, right back at him, “Who I chose to spend my time with does not concern you—in case you have forgotten—I no longer live in this house and I am my own person. It’s a new century Father—I don’t need your permission to see _anyone--_ you’d do well to remember that,” she informed him, keeping her voice calm, but inside she was shaking—she had _never_ talked back that much to her formidable father before—not when she told him she wanted to be a journalist, not when she told him she was working for his rival newspaper, and not even when she had published the article about the newsboy strike. Her father was usually a fairly non-confrontational person with his daughter—it was rare for him to yell at her even when he was very angry—so Katherine knew that he was unspeakably livid.

Her father’s face was beet red and his eyes were bugging out of his face. He stood and wagged a finger at her from across the table, “No, it is improper and I am putting my foot down—I let you run off and have a _career,_ ” he spit the word out like it was a disease, “in spite of the fact that I have _killed_ myself to provide you with a comfortable life. And I did not say anything when you helped those boys win against me—your own father—even though you apparently did not care how _embarrassing_ that situation was for me. But this? This is inexcusable. You will not see that boy again!”

Katherine was quaking with rage, her fists clenched at her sides, but she did not say anything, just simply stood up and walked to the dining room door. Before she actually exited the room, however, Katherine slowly turned back to face her father. “Surely you do know that I will not obey you on this,” she stated quietly and calmly.

“If you walk out that door now, you will not be allowed back in this house,” her father seethed.

Katherine shook her head and shrugged, regretfully. Then, as she opened the door she said, “Jack is twice the man you will ever be father.”

As she ran out of the room, Katherine heard her father roar, “Get out of my home this instant!” and she heard something smash from inside the dining room.

Then she was on the street and it was dark and everything that had just happened hit her, “I just broke all ties with my family,” she muttered resting her face in her hands. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart, “Okay, okay, you don’t need them,” Katherine tried to assure herself as she meandered down the street.

Luckily she knew exactly where to go.

Fifteen minutes later she was nimbly scaling the fire escape of the Newsies’ lodging to access the roof, where she was pretty sure she would find---

“Jack!” she called softly, spotting the dark figure at the far end of the roof.

“Katherine!” Jack came bounding over toward where she stood and swept her into his arms spinning her around before squeezing her tight, “I missed you,” he whispered in her ear. Then he paused and pulled back, “But you weren’t gone that long—didn’t you have dinner with your father?” he asked, suddenly concerned.

Katherine began blinking rapidly and the grief and fear she had managed to subdue on the journey to Jack came bubbling over as she felt a tear streak down her face, “I…I won’t be having dinner with my father,” she gulped and rested her forehead on Jack’s chest, “I won’t be having dinner with my father, ever again,” she finished and wrapped her arms around his waist.

Jack cupped the back of her head and nudged her until she was looking at him, his face awash with sympathy. Gently wiping away her tears with his thumb, he crooned, “Aw sweetheart, what happened?”

She sniffed and blurted out, “He tried to tell me I couldn’t see you anymore—and obviously that wasn’t an option—so I told him so and he kicked me out,” she paused and a small grin fought its way onto her face, “I may also have told him that you were twice the man he would ever be,” Katherine admitted and Jack laughed.

“I don’t see ol’ Pulitzer taking that very well at all,” he chuckled and then sobered quickly, “But are you okay?” he asked, eyeing her with concern.

Katherine thought for a moment and then nodded, “Yes,” she said, somewhat surprised, “I am—I think this was for the best—I mean it’s not like I need him anyway—I was already on my own,” she hurriedly added, as she saw Jack getting a bit of a cocky grin.

“Sure Katherine,” he allowed and kissed her forehead, “You’re right though—you don’t need him—you’re doing just fine on your own--and ‘sides ya gots me!” Jack assured her, as he led Katherine over to the far edge of the roof, where he had a couple of blankets set up.

Katherine just rolled her eyes, but a smile was splashed on her face, as Jack pulled her down into the cocoon of blankets with him, situating her so that she was in between his legs, her back resting on his chest, wrapped tightly in his arms. She leaned back and laid her head on his chest, ducking up to quickly press a kiss against his jaw, “You’re right you know,” she whispered, “I do have you—that’s all I need.”

The smile he flashed her at that was dazzling and not at all cocky. 


End file.
